Southern Cairngorms

Tucked in behind the large domes of Carn an Tuirc and Cairn of Claise is the deep bowl of Coire Kander. Apart from the accessible ice climbing, there are a couple of Grade I gullies in the corrie:  Y Gully and Twisting Gully.  Y Gully is popular and relatively easy.  Twisting Gully less so (on both counts).

There's a running joke amongst climbers as to whether "Clova is in".  This is in reference to the relative scarcity of good winter climbing conditions, mostly due to the low altitude of the climbs here.  From a skiing point of view, good conditions are even more elusive, but they do exist!  The top of cliffs are only at 750m a.s.l., so good conditions are tricky to come by.  Snow bearing Southerly, or Southwesterly winds will fill the gullies, but you'll have to consider snow stability.   Needless to say, good conditions rarely hang around for long.

From a skiers point of view, the large north facing granite cliff of Creag an Dubh-loch is dominated by the wide slot of Central Gully.  With the foot of the cliff relatively low, the runouts may often be too rocky to justify a descent, but if there's enough snow, it's a superb place to ski.  Central Gully is the main objective, but South-East Gully is a worthy companion.  There are also a couple of gullies on Eagles Rocks, facing Creag an Dubh-loch that look straightforward in the right conditions.

Caenlochan Glen is located east of Glas Maol behind the Glenshee ski area and offers some easily accessible ski touring and steep skiing. It features a South facing “sunny side”, and a North facing “dark side”, givng numerous aspects and terrain options.

The slopes above Loch Muick may not be the first to feature in the thoughts of where to go for gully skiing in Scotland, but the nature of the terrain means that under certain conditions, they can provide some fun.  With the tops of the runs around the 600-650m mark, these may be an option when conditions are too wild higher up the mountain, or you might take one of the lines in on return from either the Dubh Loch or Lochnagar.  There are various aspects to choose from, depending upon snow conditions.  Skiing above the loch is an enjoyable and memorable experience.

The grand Northeast corrie of Lochnagar is split into 2 distinct sections.  The main corrie has the obvious line of Black Spout, and it's Left Hand Branch, whereas the Southern Sector offers the possibility of many short steep descents.

Albeit of shorter stature than the great North-East corrie of Lochnagar, there are several short descents to be had either side of the imposing Stuic buttress.  Providing the snow is stable, the skiing here can have a slightly more friendly feeling than the main corrie.